News highlights:

• Le Tissier is of the opinion Chelsea new signing Werner will replace Abraham not complement him.

• Lampard has discussion with Abraham to embrace increased competition.

• Giroud thinks the signing of the German star has already increased motivation.

Chelsea officially announced a £53million deal for Leipzig Timo Werner earlier this week, with the forward signing a five-year contract worth around £200,000-per-week.

While Werner can play across the front line, the German will most likely compete with Abraham and Olivier Giroud for the main striking role next season.

Abraham has been Frank Lampard’s first-choice forward this season, with the 22-year-old scoring 13 Premier League goals in 25 games.

And though Werner can also operate off the left flank, Le Tissier believes it’s a central role he will be expecting.

Asked if Werner was coming in to complement or replace Abraham, Le Tissier told Sky Sports: “I would think probably to replace [him]. There will be a lot of squad rotation, Chelsea will play a lot of football matches per season.
“Tammy Abraham will still get his fair share of games. But I think, in terms of being first-choice, Timo Werner will be the one who comes in and will be the first choice.

“It’s a tough one because Abraham’s done pretty well this season. But if you’re going to spend £50million on a center-forward, I think he’d be pretty disappointed if he wasn’t the first choice.”

Lampard revealed he has urged Abraham to embrace the increased competition level having spoken about Werner’s incoming.

“I have spoken to Tammy before about the idea of competition,” he said. “I do not feel the need to have to address every player if a player comes in that might contest their position at a club like Chelsea, because that is what it is about.

Giroud has also spoken of the increased motivation within the squad upon the news of his arrival.

Barcelona 0-0 draw against Sevilla means Real Madrid will go top on head-to-head rule of they beat Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Barcelona ’s trip to Sevilla always looked a really tricky tie and so it proved with Quique Setien’s side unable to score and forced to take home just a point.

The result means Barca extend their lead to three points but will be knocked off the top of the table if Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Imanol Alguacil’s side have had a good season but have drawn with Osasuna and been beaten by Alaves since La Liga resumed.
After that fixture the top two will have eight games left to play and Barca have a tough week coming. They host Athletic next and then head to Celta before a clash with Atletico.

Rakitic looked at home at Sevilla

Ivan Rakitic was the man to start in midfield alongside Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal due to Frenkie de Jong’s absence and looked right at home at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.
The Croatian continues to attract plenty of criticism but he was one of Barca’s brightest performers on Friday night against his former team before running out of steam.
Rakitic continues to insist he wants to see out his contract at the Camp Nou, that runs until the end of next season, but has also admitted it would be a “dream” to play for Sevilla again.
Will this performance encourage Sevilla to splash out on the midfielder this summer?

Braithwaite nowhere to be found on the left too

Martin Braithwaite deservedly got the nod ahead of Antoine Griezmann for Barcelona but ended up looking just as lost out on the left as the Frenchman has done recently.
Quique Setien explained his decision to start Braithwaite over Griezmann afterwards, saying he wanted the Dane’s pace, but he wasn’t able to trouble the Sevilla defence.
Braithwaite was replaced on the hour by Arthur, while Luis Suarez played the whole 90 minutes despite Setien saying ahead of the game he wasn’t ready to play a whole match.

Barca no better away under Setien

Barcelona’s struggles away from home have been well documented, they’ve won 22 of 45 points on their travels, but are certainly showing no signs of improving under Setien.

The new coach has yet to win a big game on his travels with Barcelona and could have lost again if Sergio Reguilón had shown a bit more composure late on.

His reluctance to use substitutes during the game was also pretty baffling.

Setien only ended up making three and one of those was sending on Riqui Puig in the 88th minute. Why not earlier? Ansu Fati didn’t even make it off the bench.

Barcelona now have eight games left to play and half of those are away. They still have to go to Celta Vigo, Villarreal, Real Valladolid and finish off at Alaves.

Messi finally draws a blank against Sevilla

Lionel Messi went to Seville hoping to net his 700th career goal against the team he has scored against more than any other in La Liga.

Yet it wasn’t to be as Julen Lopetegui’s side finally managed to stop the Barca captain from finding the back of the net for the first time in a long time.

Barcelona have failed to score vs Sevilla at Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán for the first time in 16 games played in all competitions with Lionel Messi on the pitch (W9 D5 L2).

They went ‘to the limit’ as Lopetegui had assured they would, defending a Messi free-kick with a six-man wall, Munir lying on the ground behind and a man on the line.

Centre-back Diego Carlos, who has been linked with Barca, also angered Messi with a strong challenge that saw the Argentine jump up and give him a push.

It’s also worth nothing that Messi stayed on and played all 90 minutes once again for the third time in a week. He will have to rested at some point whether he likes it or not.

Barcelona 0-0 draw against Sevilla means Real Madrid will go top on head-to-head rule of they beat Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Barcelona ’s trip to Sevilla always looked a really tricky tie and so it proved with Quique Setien’s side unable to score and forced to take home just a point.

The result means Barca extend their lead to three points but will be knocked off the top of the table if Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad on Sunday.

Imanol Alguacil’s side have had a good season but have drawn with Osasuna and been beaten by Alaves since La Liga resumed.
After that fixture the top two will have eight games left to play and Barca have a tough week coming. They host Athletic next and then head to Celta before a clash with Atletico.

Rakitic looked at home at Sevilla

Ivan Rakitic was the man to start in midfield alongside Sergio Busquets and Arturo Vidal due to Frenkie de Jong’s absence and looked right at home at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan.
The Croatian continues to attract plenty of criticism but he was one of Barca’s brightest performers on Friday night against his former team before running out of steam.
Rakitic continues to insist he wants to see out his contract at the Camp Nou, that runs until the end of next season, but has also admitted it would be a “dream” to play for Sevilla again.
Will this performance encourage Sevilla to splash out on the midfielder this summer?

Braithwaite nowhere to be found on the left too

Martin Braithwaite deservedly got the nod ahead of Antoine Griezmann for Barcelona but ended up looking just as lost out on the left as the Frenchman has done recently.
Quique Setien explained his decision to start Braithwaite over Griezmann afterwards, saying he wanted the Dane’s pace, but he wasn’t able to trouble the Sevilla defence.
Braithwaite was replaced on the hour by Arthur, while Luis Suarez played the whole 90 minutes despite Setien saying ahead of the game he wasn’t ready to play a whole match.

Barca no better away under Setien

Barcelona’s struggles away from home have been well documented, they’ve won 22 of 45 points on their travels, but are certainly showing no signs of improving under Setien.

The new coach has yet to win a big game on his travels with Barcelona and could have lost again if Sergio Reguilón had shown a bit more composure late on.

His reluctance to use substitutes during the game was also pretty baffling.

Setien only ended up making three and one of those was sending on Riqui Puig in the 88th minute. Why not earlier? Ansu Fati didn’t even make it off the bench.

Barcelona now have eight games left to play and half of those are away. They still have to go to Celta Vigo, Villarreal, Real Valladolid and finish off at Alaves.

Messi finally draws a blank against Sevilla

Lionel Messi went to Seville hoping to net his 700th career goal against the team he has scored against more than any other in La Liga.

Yet it wasn’t to be as Julen Lopetegui’s side finally managed to stop the Barca captain from finding the back of the net for the first time in a long time.

Barcelona have failed to score vs Sevilla at Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán for the first time in 16 games played in all competitions with Lionel Messi on the pitch (W9 D5 L2).

They went ‘to the limit’ as Lopetegui had assured they would, defending a Messi free-kick with a six-man wall, Munir lying on the ground behind and a man on the line.

Centre-back Diego Carlos, who has been linked with Barca, also angered Messi with a strong challenge that saw the Argentine jump up and give him a push.

It’s also worth nothing that Messi stayed on and played all 90 minutes once again for the third time in a week. He will have to rested at some point whether he likes it or not.

News highlights:

• Pique pessimistic about Barcelona title chance after Sevilla stalemate

• But Setien is optimistic about Barcelona chances.

Barcelona’s first slip-up since returning from the three-month hiatus hands Real Madrid the chance to regain top spot in La Liga this weekend.

The setback gives Los Blanco’s the advantage to go top provided they overcome Real Sociedad at the anoeta on Sunday. After their emphatic 3-0 win over Valencia on Thursday, Zinedine Zidane’s side will move level on points with the Catalans if they beat Real Sociedad on Sunday and above them due to their superior record head-to-head.

Barcelona’s Gerrard Pique is also of the opinion that the league may have become difficult to win after the draw.

“Seeing what we’ve done in the last two rounds, it’s going to be very difficult to win this league,” said a despondent Pique afterwards.

“From what I’ve seen, it’s very hard to see Real Madrid dropping points.”

“The draw leaves us in a position where we no longer depend on ourselves and looking at the fixtures it’s difficult to imagine Real Madrid are going to drop points but we’ll still give everything to try and win it.” Pique opined.

But Barcelona Coach thinks otherwise, asked about Pique’s analysis, Quique Setien said: “I think it comes from frustration. I am optimistic. I think it will be tough for anyone to take maximum points.”

“We were very confident because we had 30 very good minutes at the beginning of the game and then we got messy,” he said, via AS.

“In the second half, we lost balls that gave them life.
“Tomorrow, he will surely think differently because I am sure that Madrid will not win everything.”

A valuable point for Sevilla, meanwhile, gives them a five-point cushion over Getafe in fifth, albeit having played a game more.

Barca could have few complaints at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

They never really troubled Sevilla for any prolonged period and the closest Lionel Messi came to scoring the 700th goal of his career were a pair of free-kicks tipped over.

The sight of goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen jogging up for a late corner demonstrated how big a blow they considered dropping points to be.

Yet Real Sociedad are still in the hunt for Champions League qualification and will offer Madrid no guarantees on Sunday while games against Getafe, Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal mean there are still plenty of hurdles for Zidane’s team to overcome.

Barcelona though would appear to have the tougher run-in, with Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal and local rivals Espanyol coming up.

News highlights:

• Neymar will pay Barcelona €6.7m after his case was dismissed

• Neymar filled a lawsuit against Barca for €43.6m in alleged unpaid bonuses he believed he was entitled to receive while playing for the Cules.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar has been ordered to pay Barcelona €6.7 million after his case against the Catalan club was dismissed on Friday.

The Brazilian filed a lawsuit against Barca for €43.6m in alleged unpaid bonuses he believed he was entitled to receive, despite the controversial nature of his move to PSG in 2017.

But the verdict has gone against the 28-year-old, who has remained a transfer target for the Blaugrana amid the legal wrangling.

“FC Barcelona expresses its satisfaction with the verdict announced today by Social Court 15 in Barcelona in relation to the lawsuit involving FC Barcelona and the player Neymar Jr regarding the amount of the signing bonus in the final renewal of the player’s contract,” the club said in a statement.

Barcelona have been trying to re-sign the Brazilian superstar since last season and are expected to make another effort this season. It is left to be seen if after this judgement any deal can still go through for Barcelona.

Neymar has also been reported several times in the media to favour a move back to the Nou Camp, but PSG asking price has been torted has the stumbling block. The Paris club wants €164 million for the attacker.

News highlights:

• Lille Coach admitted Victor Osimhen will leave the French side this summer

• Napoli and Spur among teams interested in the Super Eagle’s star

Speaking to reporters at Friday’s press conference, Lille coach Christophe Galtier has revealed that Nigeria international Victor Osimhen is certain to depart the French Ligue 1 club in the summer transfer window.

Tottenham Hotspur are among the clubs interested in bringing Osimhen to the premier league but face competition from Italian clubs led by Napoli, while talks of a move to La Liga have cooled down in recent weeks.

The Super Eagles star has yet to resume pre-season training with Lille as he was granted compassionate leave to attend the funeral of his father who died earlier this month.
“Regarding Victor and Gabriel, yes I integrated it, for a long time, that they are leaving, and we are working on players, who are currently here and who will arrive, likely to replace them,” Galtier stated.

The French football tactician revealed that Osimhen is expected to resume training next week.
“Regarding Yusuf Yazici and Timothy Weah, they are not yet fully integrated into all the exercises we do. We take advantage of this first week to test and evaluate them. They have an individual program. As for Victor Osimhen, he will return around June 24 or 25,” he said.

Osimhen was bought to fill the void left by Nicolas Pepe who move to Arsenal last summer. Osimhen ended the 2019-2020 campaign as Lille’s top scorer in all competitions with 18 goals in 38 games.

News highlights:

• Guardiola says Sane will leave City if a deal could not be agree.

• Sane rejected Manchester City contract offer and could leave for free in 2021, if a deal is not agreed and a sale does not materialize.

Leroy Sane to leave Manchester City, says Pep Guardiola Sane rejects new contract at Man City; Will leave this summer if deal can be agreed, or at end of current deal in 2021

Leroy Sane will leave Manchester City this summer if a deal can be agreed with another club after he rejected a new contract, says manager Pep Guardiola.

The City manager wants to tie Sane to a contract at the Etihad, but he appear to have given up hope of negotiating a new contract with Sane after nearly two years of talks with the Germany international.

Bayern have made Sane their top priority this summer and have already held talks with City, who are asking for £62m for the former Schalke 04 winger.

Italian publication Milan Live suggest the Reds will aim to replace the potentially departing Naby Keita with the Wolves midfielder.

It’s reported that AC Milan are willing to sign the Guinea international once the window opens, either permanently or on loan.

The Rossoneri have been interested in the past but now it appears as though their pursuit is starting to materialise further.

Nabil Keita has been a peripheral figure at Anfield and was even left completely out of the squad to face Atletico Madrid a few months ago despite no injury.

As a result of Milan’s interest, Ruben Neves, who has been fantastic for the wolve, could well arrive through the door in Merseyside. According to Transfermarkt , the 23-year-old is valued at £36m.

The Rossoneri’s desire to sign a new striker ahead of next season appears to be no secret, especially given the doubts over the future of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and general lack of depth in that position already amid Rafael Leao’s poor form.

A name that has been repeatedly linked with Milan over the past few weeks is Jovic, and Friday’s edition of Tuttosport (via MilanNews) confirmed that prospective new manager Ralf Rangnick wants to work with the Serbia international at Milan .

According to Fichajes , Manchester United have entered the race to land Jovic as they are interested in acquiring forward depth for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ahead of next season.This lady in a wheelchair couldn’t climb the stairs, but watch what happens when she pushes the button

The intention of the Red Devils is to close a loan for one season with an option to buy. Real Madrid for their part are open to selling after a bad season following the €60m invested to sign him last summer, especially given they have some big signings in mind for the upcoming window.

https://www.forextime.com/?form=IoCW

There have been speculation around the Milan number one of possible move away from the Red and Black. His current contract runs out next year and a quick decision is needed by the Milan board either to sell or renew the 21 year old contract to avoid losing him on a free next summer.

According to Luca Serafini of MilanNews, Gianluigi Donnarumma has instructed Raiola about his will to remain the Rossoneri, even if it meant lower his salary and/or spreading it over more years.

The only condition was to understand that he will be at the centre of the project and, of course, that there is a project. The renewal is practically agreed until 2023, with the Italy international having said no to PSG and Tottenham.

The renewal of Donnarumma is a choice by the management to hold on to some of the values and a key figure who loves the club, something which will be important in helping Ralf Rangnick adjust to Serie A.

On Inter loanees Victor Moses and Cristiano Biraghi

According to Italian sports daily Corriere dello Sport via sempreinter , the futures of Fiorentina loanee Cristiano Biraghi and Chelsea loanee Victor Moses are in doubt as Inter are not happy with their performances so far this season.

The Nerazzurri have been linked with Arsenal fullback Hector Bellerin, Chelsea’s Emerson Palmieri, and Paris Saint-Germain duo Layvin Kurzawa and Thomas Meunier in recent weeks.

Arriving on loan in the January transfer window, Moses has struggled to force his way into the starting lineup, with manager Antonio Conte preferring Antonio Candreva in the right wing-back role.

Of his four starts for Inter Milan this term, three were in the Europa League and Coppa Italia, while he has played four games as a substitute, most recently in the defeat against Napoli.

The 2013 Africa Cup of Nation winner has been on the books of Chelsea since August 2012 and has a contract until 2021.

News highlights:

• Benzema suppass Puskas, becomes the fifth highest goalscorer in Madrid’s history

• Becomes only the fourth Madrid player to score 20+ goals in eight or more seasons

The French striker has added to his legacy at the Santiago Bernabeu by bagging a brace in the Blancos’ second game since La Liga restarts.

With the brace against Valencia, Karim Benzema has surpassed Ferenc Puskas in Real Madrid’s all-time scoring charts.

The Blancos made it two wins from two since the return of La Liga by putting Albert Celades’ side to the sword at an empty Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday night.

Zinedine Zidane’s men came into the contest high on confidence following Sunday’s 3-1 win against Eibar , during which Benzema failed to score despite playing the full 90 minutes.

The 32-year-old striker looked as though he might also be shut out by Valencia’s defence for an hour, before he produced an expert finish after being played through by Eden Hazard.

Marco Asensio doubled Madrid’s lead before Benzema grabbed his second of the night with just four minutes left on the clock, controlling the ball in mid-air before turning to fire in an unstoppable volley past Jasper Cillessen in the Valencia net.

The experienced striker’s latest double saw him move above the legendary Puskas as the fifth-highest scoring player in the club’s history with 243 goals, Ferenk Pukas had 242.

Benzema is also now only the fourth player in Madrid’s history to have hit 20-plus goals in eight or more seasons, as he joins Cristiano Ronaldo, Alfredo Di Stefano and Raul in the Bernabeu’s hall of fame.

Real Madrid were 3-0 winners over Valencia on Thursday. Los Blanco was trailing Barcelona by five points before the match, the win reduced that margin to two.

Valencia could have taken the lead when the referee award Los Che a penalty, but Rodrigo Moreno missed.

Real Madrid took the courtesy of Kareem Benzema before Marcos Asensio made it two on the night, Kareem Benzema got the third and his second goal to give the Galaticos a comfortable victory.

The next stop in La liga for the Madrid side is a trip to the Anoeta to face a Real Sociedad, a team that’s still hopeful of champions league football next season, on June 22.

News highlights;

• Unai Emery turned down Real Betis

• The reason for the decision may be Trace to the fact Betis are in same city with Sevilla.

As reported by AS (via Football Espana), Emery turned down an inquiry from Real Betis as the Basque tactician doesn’t want to join a team mid-season and because the squad wasn’t put together with his needs in mind.

It’s not believed that Emery turned down the offer because of his previous history as manager of Sevilla FC, which is in the same city as Real Betis.

Emery is a three-time UEFA Europa League winner and he won several trophies with PSG, including the Ligue 1 title in 2017-18, two Coupe de France titles, and the 2016-17 Coupe de la Ligue.

Despite domestic success it was in continental competition he fumbled the most, He was Paris Saint-Germain manager when they finished second to AS Monaco in Ligue 1 and blew a 4-0 lead over FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. The Parisian club lost the second-leg at Camp Nou 6-1.

The former Sevilla manager, Emery, moved on to Arsenal FC in 2018 where he replaced Legendary Manager Arsène Wenger but only lasted a little more than a year as he was sacked in November of 2019 due to poor results.

UEFA’s format change for the UEFA Champions League apparently was not approved by all the teams involved, and the first complain about the new format came from one of the top clubs to win the Europe premier competition.

Speaking at a press conference earlier today, Barcelona coach Quique Setién frowned upon the competition’s new format, where only one match will be played to determine the winner of each tie at a neutral ground.

With that in mind, Setién urged UEFA to allow Los Blaugranas to play the second leg of their tie against Napoli at Camp Nou Stadium rather than doing it at a neutral venue.

“All I can hope for is that we are allowed to play against Napoli here. Playing at a neutral venue is one thing, and playing at your own turf behind closed doors makes a huge difference,” Setién said.

The Spanish boss went on about this issue, adding that playing the rest of the games in the Round of 16 at a neutral venue will be disappointing to all teams that were supposed to host the second leg ties.

“I think it’s the worst-case scenario for Barcelona and for all. When there are two games, you can solve any problems created by an accident during a first leg. Now, it’s all or nothing. We would all like to play two legs in each tie, but it seems that we will have to adapt to these circumstances,” Setién added.

The first-leg of the champions league round of 16 tie, which ended in a 0-0 draw, was played in Italy, while the second-leg is supposed to be played at the Nou Camp, in Spain. But the decision by Uefa means Barcelona will have to play that match at a Uefa designated venue. It’s unlikely Uefa will grant setien’s request given the troubles they must have gone through rescheduling games.

News highlights:

• Bayern agree two month pan extension for coutinho.

• The extension mean coutinho will be available for Bayern in the final phase of the champions league in August.

Philippe Coutinho will be eligible to play for Bayern Munich in the closing stages of the Champions League after the club reportedly reached an agreement with Barcelona to extend his loan deal.

The former Liverpool man’s original deal with the recently crowned Bundesliga champions was due to expire on June 30, but the club have now managed to extend it for two months in the wake of the coronavirus crisis according to Sky Germany.

They have still not taken up their option to sign Coutinho on a permanent deal at the end of his loan agreement, and are unlikely to do so.

Coutinho has not featured for Bayern since the return of football as he recovered from surgery on an ankle injury, but he is now back in full training ahead of their final two matches of the Bundesliga season, with the club having wrapped up the title on Tuesday.

He will then be able to play in the revamped final stages of the Champions League in August, which were announced by UEFA on Thursday.

The Brazilian’s long-term future remains unclear, with his agent Kia Joorabchian recently claiming that he would be excited to return to the Premier League, where he played for Liverpool for five years before a £142million move to Barca in January 2018.

“The Premier League is something that he has always enjoyed playing in, and loved playing in, and would probably love to come back and play in,” Joorabchian told Sky Sports .
“The question is what are going to be the financial conditions of all the clubs, including Barcelona and all the Premier League clubs at the end of this pandemic.”

Bayern still have to play the second leg of their Champions League last-16 clash against Chelsea having won the first leg 3-0 at Stamford Bridge.

News highlights:

• Inter refusing to lower Martinez asking price.

• Inter wants his release clause to be satisfied for any deal to be done.

• Barcelona offering Cash plus player for the Argentina forward.

Inter are refusing to drop their demands for Lautaro Martinez due to being absolutely convinced he will become a top international striker according to a report in today’s print edition of Italian daily newspaper Tuttosport.

Inter continue to demand Barcelona pay his €111 million release clause and if a deal is to happen on a player or players plus cash basis, it will be done on Inter’s terms.

The Nerazzurri club are open to receiving Junior Firpo as part of a player plus cash deal but disagree with Barcelona’s €41 million evaluation of the full back and instead value him at no more than €20 million.

Inter manager Antonio Conte wants Arturo Vidal but the Chilean will not be part of any deal for Lautaro Martinez as Inter believe they could get him for less in a separate deal.

The report from the Turin based news outlet concludes that Inter may not go for Vidal at all and could end up reintegrating Radja Nainggolan, who was pushed out of the project this past Summer.

Argentine stricker, Lautaro Martinez has been on Barcelona radar since last summer. The blaugrana is still interested in the stricker and they will want to try again when the transfer window opens this summer.

News highlights:

• The duo of De Jong and Roberto will miss Sevilla clash through injury

• Satien prefers to lose De Jong for a game than four

Frenkie de Jong and Sergi Roberto are both out of Barcelona’s clash with Sevilla on Friday due to injury.

The duo sat out the group session on Thursday morning and did “specific work.” Barcelona later confirmed they are not part of the squad.

De Jong has a calf strain and Roberto has a fractured rib. The club have not stated how long they expect the duo to be out of action for.

The latest development means that, coach Quique Setién won’t have at his disposal Ousmane Dembélé, injured, Samuel Umtiti, suspended, as well as Frenkie de Jong, who has a calf strain, and Sergi Roberto, with a rib fracture. The latter two missed Thursday morning’s training session and haven’t made the 23-man squad list to ravel to Andalusia.

This is what Setién has said in today’s pre-match press conference on such circumstances, and much more:

“I would rather lose Frenkie for one game than four”
“De Jong is a great player who gives us many things but we do have players to replace him. I hope he recovers soon”

“We have seen the surprises that football brings. We need to focus on overcoming each match and maintaining the advantage”
“It’s possible that we will gain an advantage in Seville without the fans there. We will have to see how the game goes”
“Sevilla are a solid and physical side. But we do know their weaknesses and will try to exploit them”

“Players such as Leo Messi are smart enough to decide when they need rest. They will warn me if they feel the need to be rotated out of the line-up. However, I will set the guidelines for when they play”

Barcelona will be looking to maintain their 100% record since the restart when Sevilla comes to town on Friday.

News highlights:

• Neuville criticise Arsenal’s travel plans against Man City after traveling 3 hours to the game on Wednesday night.

• Arsenal lost the game 3-0 to Manchester City

Mikel Arteta’s squad enjoyed a pre-match meal at Stansted Airport before flying up north just after 5pm in horrific weather conditions to take on Pep Guardiola’s side.

Their match at the Etihad Stadium kicked off at 8:15pm and was a sodden affair thanks to dreadful stormy conditions around Manchester all evening.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ commentary with Martin Tyler, Neville admitted he could not believe the decision was taken to fly so close to kick off.

He said: ‘I was staggered when I heard their travel plans, I’ve got to be honest.

‘A plane three hours before kick-off, I was thinking more the risk of the weather we’ve got at the moment, the storm.’

Neville also speculated that flying at that time could have caused physical issues with the players after the Gunners lost both Granit Xhaka and Pablo Mari to injury inside the first 20 minutes.

Manchester City won 3-0 with Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling on target as David Luiz is sent off with his blunders leading to two goals

He added: ‘Obviously I don’t think it’s ideal to get fly on a plane three hours before kick-off.
‘It was the time of the travel that I was most alarmed about, so close to kick off.’

Flight records show Arsenal’s plane took off from Stansted at 5.03pm and landed in Manchester at 5.38pm.
Their plane, an Avro RJ85 which seats up to 112 people, then moved to Liverpool John Lennon Airport between 6.39pm and 6.54pm.

Arteta’s side travelled to Merseyside to catch their flight home, taking off at 12.54am on Thursday morning and landing back at Stansted at 1.31am.

News highlights:

• Lionel Messi set to sign two years contract that will keep him at Barcelona till 2023.

• Josep Maria Bartomeu is desperate for the Argentine to put pen to paper.

According to reports in Spain, Messi is poised to agree a new contract that will see him stay at the Nou Camp for a further two years.

The club legend’s current deal runs until the end of next season and president Josep Maria Bartomeu has been desperately trying to convince him to put pen to paper on fresh terms.

Messi had the option to enable a release clause that would have allowed him to leave this summer but that expires on June 10 with all signs pointing towards him staying put.

Mundo Deportivo claim the new deal will be the same terms as his current contract and will allow Messi the chance to terminate the deal if he decides to leave.

It is claimed the club are in constant talks with Messi’s father and agent, Jorge, but formal talks have not begun yet while Quique Setien’s side are focused on winning LaLiga and the Champions League.

The 32-year-old signed his last contract back in 2017 and there had been rumblings of discontentment, sparking rumors that he could seek a move away.

Cristiano Ronaldo has received a whole lot of criticism after he didn’t step up to take a penalty in the Coppa Italia final shoot-out defeat to Napoli.

The former Real Madrid goal machine also got criticism from angry Juventus Coach, Mauricio Sarri after the match saying the portugal stricker “lacking sharpness”

Despite seeing a spot-kick saved in his return to action in the semi-final against AC Milan, Ronaldo is comfortably Juventus’ best penalty taker and is normally immune to pressure in the big moments.

But the five-time Ballon d’Or winner didn’t even get to take one last night.

Both Paulo Dybala and Danilo missed from 12 yards while Napoli scored all four through Lorenzo Insigne, Matteo Politano, Nikola Maksimovic and Arkadiusz Milik – the latter putting away the winner to secure Gennaro Gattuso’s first trophy.

And many believe Ronaldo didn’t take a penalty because he wanted to be last penalty taker and ultimately the hero – something which has happened in the past.

News highlights:

• Napoli wins Coppa Italian 4-2 on penalty

• The win’s Gennaro Gattuso’s first title as a manager

Napoli lifted the Coppa Italia with a 4-2 penalty shootout triumph over Juventus and former coach Maurizio Sarri on Thursday (AEST) following a dire goalless draw.

The Partenopei deserved their sixth cup triumph after passing up some big chances in the 90 minutes as Juve’s star attackers failed to show at the Stadio Olimpico.

During the penalty shoot-out, Lorenzo Insigne, Matteo Politano, Nikola Maksimovic and Arkadiusz Milik all converted their chances for Napoli but Paulo Dybala and Danilo missed their efforts for Juventus while Leonardo Bonucci and Aaron Ramsey scored the last two.

Maurizio Sarri claims Cristiano Ronaldo is ‘lacking sharpness’ following Juventus’ defeat.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid forward did not take a penalty in the shootout as he was being held back for the fifth spot-kick. And after the defeat, Sarri claimed that Ronaldo is still not at his best.
‘He’s in the same shape as the others, like Paulo Dybala and Douglas Costa, he is lacking the sharpness to do what works best for him,’ Sarri told RAI.
‘I didn’t say much to the players after the game. I was angry and disappointed just like them, so at these moments it’s best to stay silent.
‘We’ll talk better tomorrow morning.’
Sarri also believes that Juve’s lack of sharpness cost them against Napoli.

‘There is disappointment for the club, the players and the fans, but at this moment we cannot do much more, because we are lacking sharpness,’ said the former Chelsea boss.
‘We were missing a few players and had to make some different choices to usual, because our fitness levels are not optimal. We keep the ball well, but lack the sharpness to turn that into dangerous scoring opportunities.

‘We are struggling to get past opposition players when taking men on, we have a team built on individuals who can usually do that very well.
‘I don’t think we’re lacking determination, because we were totally concentrated for 90 minutes and you can’t do that without determination.
‘I think the problem is the characteristics, because these are players accustomed to taking men on and at the moment that’s just not coming off.’

Besides Buffon, there was scarcely a player in the Juve ranks who could take pride in his efforts here. Sloppy play in defence led to the openings that Buffon brilliantly closed, while they posed little threat going the other way.

• The Tenerife born winger reportedly agrees to join AS Roma.

• Willian’s contract also end on June 30.

According to reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), The Athletic , and the Telegraph , Chelsea winger Pedro has agreed to join AS Roma on a two-year deal, with an option for a third.

And while it’s not quite set in stone, he apparently does not want to risk any unnecessary injuries in the meantime, meaning that once his Chelsea contract runs out on June 30, he will be leaving the club.

While it would be possible for him to agree a temporary one-month contract with the Blues to finish out the season at the Bridge, barring any surprise developments, that won’t be happening.

If so, Chelsea could do nothing but thank Pedro for his five years of solid service, during which he helped them win three major trophies, including the Premier League, the FA Cup, and the Europa Leauge.

Pedro’s, 32, not alone in this situation, with Willian likely to follow in his footsteps. And it’s hard to fault either should they choose to do so; at the end of the day, football is business. Frank Lampard has reportedly been planning for this possibility already.

Still, it’s going to hurt our top-four ambitions to lose veterans like Pedro and Willian for the run-in. Hopefully the youngsters can (continue to) step up!

• Man City also want to sign the RB Leipzig star

• Bayern Munich also reportedly interested in the Frenchman.

Arsenal is facing increasing competition for the signature of Dayot Upamecano as the summer transfer window draws closer, as city have also declared their intension on the 21 year old defender.

The Frenchman has been one of the best young defenders around for some time now and the Gunners tried to sign him last summer.

RB Leipzig managed to hold on to their star defender, but as he enters the final year of his current deal with the German side his future is a subject of serious debate again.

A new report from France via soccerlink is claiming that Manchester City is targeting a summer move for him as Pep Guardiola expects to sign a new centre back.

It claims that a deal had been in place for Upamecano to join Bayern Munich, but the financial crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic has forced the Germans to reassess the transfer making the defender available to his other suitors again.

The report further claims that Leipzig wants him to extend his current deal, but the defender would only accept an extension if it will not increase his current release clause which stands at €58m.

Arsenal has already signed William Saliba and he is expected to play a key role in Mikel Arteta’s side next season.

If the Gunners sign Upamecano to pair with Saliba, they could have one of the best centre-back pairings in the Premier League next season.

Juve’s second-leg Champions League tie against Lyon will be played on 7 or 8 August while the Quarter-finals and Semi-Finals will be decided over one match.

Uefa have confirmed the news via an announcement on their official website, also confirming that the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will be played in Lisbon.

Quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final will be played as a final eight straight knock-out tournament at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica and the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon between 12 and 23 August 2020.

The remaining Round of 16 second-leg matches will be played on the 7/8 August, pending a decision on whether they will take place at the home team’s stadiums or in Portugal.

The Estádio do Dragão in Porto and the Estádio Dom Afonso Henriques in Guimarães will be added to Lisbon venues for the Round of 16, if necessary.

Quarter-finals will take place on 12/13/14/15 August, semi-finals on 18/19 August and the final at the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica on 23 August.

All remaining matches of the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League will kick-off at 21:00CET.

The draws for the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League quarter-finals and semi-finals will take place on 10 July 2020 at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon and the exact match schedule will be communicated following such draw.

All quarter-final and semi-final matches will go to extra-time and penalty kicks in case of a draw at the end of the regular playing time. The same regulatory change will likewise apply to matches in the other competitions for which the same decision has been taken.

Istanbul, which was originally appointed to stage the 2020 final will now host the 2021 UEFA Champions League Final, whereas the venues for subsequent finals have all agreed to host these a year later than originally planned, with St-Petersburg in 2022, Munich in 2023 and London (Wembley) in 2024. – UEFA.com

News highlights:

• Kaushik looking to surpass Vijender Singh and Mary Kom achievements at next year summer Olympics.

• The Olympics was postponed to next year due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Boxing world bronze medallist Manish Kaushik has revealed he is aiming for gold at next year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The Indian lightweight finished with silver at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games and bronze at the 2019 World Championships in Yekaterinburg.

He qualified for Tokyo 2020 following a box-off win against Australian Commonwealth champion Harry Garside at the Asian and Oceanian Olympic boxing qualifying event. This bout was a repeat of the Gold Coast 2018 final, with the outcome different.

The Olympic Games have since been postponed to July 23 to August 8 next year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite this, Kaushik suggested he is still aiming for gold.
“I am very happy to get a quota and I can represent India in the Tokyo Olympic Games,” he said.

“I received many positive and fantastic messages after my Olympic quota, especially from the army officials and the Indian Sports Minister.
“I will do my best to win the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games but I know my weight class is seriously difficult.”

The 22-year-old also discussed the impact of the pandemic on his training regime, with many Indian athletes having to live under restrictive measures put in place to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The Boxing Federation of India was planning to resume activities with a camp in Patiala on June 10, but has been forced to wait due to administrative issues.
“These are really hard periods for me as we all need to stay at home during this COVID-19 pandemic,” Kaushik said.

“I wash my hands very often, sanitise my environment, keeping the social distancing and I take care about my food.
“It is very difficult for the Indian boxers to practice without a partner but I am lucky as my younger brother Sahil is also in the sport, he is still in the junior age group.” Kaushik landed.

India have only earned two bronze medals in the Olympic boxing competition, with Vijender Singh finishing third at Beijing 2008 and Mary Kom equalling his achievement at London 2012.

News highlights:

• Odegaard wants to remain on loan at the anoeta till 2021

• Real Madrid are considering recalling him amid interest from AC Milan.

A report claims AC Milan target Martin Odegaard has already told parent club Real Madrid that he wishes to remain on loan at Real Sociedad next season.

The 21-year-old is currently on loan at the Basque club until 2021 and he has been hugely impressive, recording a combined 15 goals and assists for them this season in all competitions.

Tuttosport recently reported (via MilanNews) that Odegaard is a player prospective new manager Ralf Rangnick would love to work with at Milan , due to the face he can play as a central midfielder, attacking midfielder or on either wing.

The sport paper outlet stated that Real Madrid could cut short his loan in order to sell him this summer but would want €40million for his services.

Mundo Deportivo reported however, the Norway international has already told Real Sociedad and Real Madrid of his desire to remain on his loan spell until the end of the contract.

Los Blancos had the option to recall the 21-year-old early with no financial penalty, however their wealth of current midfield options, plus the fact Luka Modric plans to finish his career with Real Madrid, means they may grant Odegaard’s request despite interest from Milan.

Dortmund have reportedly agreed a deal to sign Thomas Meunier as a free agent to replace the outgoing Achraf Hakimi 

The Belgian, Meunier, 28, moved from Club Brugge to Paris Saint German in 2016.

Dortmund could lose Achraf Hakimi this summer following interest from host of European clubs.

• Barcelona go five points clear at the summit.

• Messi scored 699th goal for both clubs and country.

• Ansu Fati scored first goal of the season.

Seventeen-year-old Ansu Fati scored his fifth La Liga goal of the season as Barcelona extended their lead at the top with victory over Leganes.

The Guinea-Bissau forward produced a clinical finish at an empty Nou Camp before Lionel Messi doubled the lead from the penalty spot.

Messi’s 699th goal for club and country came after the Argentina forward was fouled by Ruben Perez.

Barcelona are five points clear of nearest rivals Real Madrid. However, Real will cut the lead to two points if they beat Valencia at home on Thursday.

At 16 years and 298 days, Fati became the second-youngest first-team player in Barcelona history when he made his debut in a 5-2 win over Real Betis on 25 August.

Having moved to Spain at the age of six with his family, he has been with Barcelona’s youth academy since 2012.

This was Barcelona’s first match at the Nou Camp since La Liga resumed after it was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic

The exciting youngster produced a composed finish to put Barca in control before Messi doubled the lead in the first match played at the Nou Camp since La Liga resumed after it was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Leganes are bottom of the table, three points from safety with nine games left.

• Ibra’s days numbered after spat with Gazidi

• The Swede signed a six month deal in January with the for a further year

• Ibra disgruntled over boban sack by Gazidi

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s days at AC Milan look to be numbered following reports of a training ground confrontation with the club’s chief executive Ivan Gazidis.

The Swedish forward signed a six-month deal with Milan back in January with the option for a further year. But his chances of staying on at the San Siro look increasingly unlikely following latest developments.

Ibrahimovic is said to have picked a heated argument with Gazidis after the latter turned up to a club training session. Gazidis has not been seen around the club in months which, according to SempreMilan.com, particularly irked Ibrahimovic who slammed the Milan chief for being too distant.

Ibrahimovic, 38, is also said to have criticised Gazidis for his handling of the pay cut dispute off the back of the coronavirus crisis, with some of the squad witnessing the whole exchange.

Gazidis apologised to Milan’s first-team squad for not being around, and agreed to accept a 50% pay reduction for all players, but it’s not clear what this means for Ibrahimovic. Given Milan are short of cash at this time, the striker is likely to be collateral damage in the club’s cost-cutting procedures.

He is on a huge wage at Milan, earning £3.5million over the last six months, and providing four goals in 10 appearances by way of return, and he is uncertain whether he wants to stay at the club beyond this season.

Among other things, He was also disgruntled by the sacking of his friend Zvonimir Boban from his role as chief football officer. Boban had been one of the main reasons behind Ibrahimovic returning, but the Croatian had a public fall out with Gazidis which prompted his departure.

After his axing, Boban labelled Gazidis’ behaviour towards him as “disrespectful”.

Ibrahimovic could now retire from football altogether, but he still has offers on the table.
Bologna boss Sinisa Mihailovic said: “He called me a few days ago and we’ll see what he decides to do in the summer .
“He certainly won’t remain at Milan, it remains to be seen whether he’ll join us or return to Sweden.”

• Lewy strikes enough for Bayern to be crown Bundesliga champions

• Bayern Munich youngster Alphonso Davies sees red.

Bayern Munich are champions of Germany for the 8th successive seasons

The Bavarian club could have won the league last week, but a win by Dortmund against Fortuna Dusseldorf means Bayern have to wait a bit longer.

The wait was finally over Tuesday night, as Bayern beat Werder Bremen away from home to finally clinch the title with two games to spare.

Robert Lewandowski scored the solitary goal of the game in the 43-minutes, as Bayern ran out 1-0 winners in Bremen.

Bayern Munich made just one substitute in a game that saw youngster Alphonso Davies redcarded.